been

been — verb

1. the form of the verb 'be' that follows 'have', 'has', or 'had' in perfect tenses

1.verbA1
Definition

the form of the verb 'be' that follows 'have', 'has', or 'had' in perfect tenses, used to talk about past actions or states that continue into the present or that happened before another past event.

Example

Nia has been sick with the flu for three days.

present perfect with 'has been' + adjective

Have you ever been inside a real submarine?

Common collocations
  • has been
  • have been
  • had been
  • been waiting
  • been lost
  • been sick

Grammar Patterns

have/has/had + been

have/has/had + been + -ing

Usage Note

Frequently used as an auxiliary to form the present perfect continuous (have/has been + -ing) and past perfect passive (had been + past participle). Distinguish from sense 2: this sense does not require 'to' after 'been'.

Common Mistakes

I been sick' (present perfect missing 'have').
I have been sick' or 'I've been sick.
In standard English, 'been' must be paired with 'have', 'has', or 'had'.
She has been to a doctor' (when meaning she is still at the doctor).
She has been to a doctor' means the visit is finished. Use 'She has gone to the doctor' if she is still there.

2. used with 'have', 'has', or 'had' followed by 'to' to say that someone travelled

2.verbA1
Definition

used with 'have', 'has', or 'had' followed by 'to' to say that someone travelled to a place and has returned — like saying 'visited' or 'travelled to'.

Example

Diego has never been to South America in his life.

been + to + continent/place for travel experience

Have you been to the new supermarket yet?

Common collocations
  • been to
  • never been to
  • ever been to
  • been there
  • been before
Synonyms
  • visited

    more formal and specific about the act of seeing a place or person

  • travelled to

    focuses on the journey, not just the arrival

Antonyms
  • gone to

    emphasises that the person has not yet returned

Grammar Patterns

have/has/had + been + to + place

Usage Note

This sense always requires 'to' before the place. 'Been to' means the person went and came back; compare with 'gone to' (still there). Subject is typically a person or group that can travel.

Common Mistakes

I have been Japan.
I have been to Japan.
The preposition 'to' is required before the place.
He has been to the bank' (while he is still at the bank).
Use 'He has gone to the bank' if he has not returned yet.

3. used to say that a person visited a place or a person and has already left again

3.verbA2
Definition

used to say that a person visited a place or a person and has already left again.

Example

The plumber has been already — he fixed the leaky pipe.

Has anyone been to see Grandpa this morning?

been + to-infinitive for completed errand/visit

Common collocations
  • been already
  • been round
  • been and done
  • been to see
  • been and gone
Synonyms
  • visited

    slightly more formal, often requires mentioning the person or place visited

  • come and gone

    explicitly states both arrival and departure

Grammar Patterns

have/has/had + been

have/has/had + been + to-infinitive

Usage Note

Common in informal British English in phrases like 'have been and done something'. When the destination is mentioned, use sense 2 ('been to') instead.

Common Mistakes

The delivery man has been and left' (when the listener does not know the delivery man came at all).
This use is fine
'has been' already tells the listener the person came and left.

been — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

'Been to' and 'gone to' are both past participles used with 'have' to talk about travel, but they differ in whether the person has returned. 'Have been to' means the person went and came back — the trip is complete ('Has Élise ever been to Tokyo?'). 'Have gone to' means the person went and is still there — they have not returned ('Élise has gone to Tokyo for the week'). 'Visited' is a standalone verb that works like 'been to' but is more formal and can be used in simple past as well ('She visited Japan last year'). Use 'been to' in casual conversation about travel experience; use 'visited' when you want to sound more deliberate or formal. Use 'gone to' specifically when the person's current location is the destination.

been togone tovisited

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • been there
  • been before
  • been and gone
  • been round

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Been' comes from Old English 'bēon', meaning 'to be, exist, become'. It traces back to the Proto-Germanic root *beunan ('to be, exist') and further to the Proto-Indo-European root *bheu- ('to grow, become'), which also gave us words like 'physics' and 'future' in English. The past participle form 'been' has been used as the perfect-tense partner of 'be' since the Middle English period.